World news | The Guardian

Telecoms disrupted nationwide after authorities cut fibre-optic connections in several provinces to prevent vice'A huge communications blackout has hit Afghanistan after Taliban authorities began severing fibre-optic connections in several provinces to prevent vice".A nationwide telecoms blackout is now in effect," said Netblocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance. Continue reading...

Men removed from US by Ice say they were held near Accra then taken over border and left without passports or IDWest Africans deported by the US to Ghana are now fending for themselves in Togo after being dumped in the country without documents, according to lawyers and deportees.The latest chapter in Donald Trump's deportation programme, their saga became public earlier this month when the Ghanaian president, John Mahama, disclosed that his country had struck a deal to accept deportees from the region. Continue reading...

Chief commercial officer Luke Miels to take over as CEO at Britain's second-biggest drugmaker

Performance of the once controversial poem was planned for its 40th anniversary but will now double as a tribute to writer who died last weekTony Harrison's state-of-the-nation poem V is to be performed in the Leeds cemetery that directly inspired the Yorkshire writer, who died last week.The seeds of V, first printed in the London Review of Books (LRB) in 1985, were sown when Harrison visited his parents' graves at Holbeck cemetery in Beeston and found the graveyard to be vandalised and daubed with racist graffiti. In the poem Harrison used this location of the family plot", where he envisions his own epitaph, to represent a divided and dejected society, juxtaposing the inscriptions on tombstones with spray-painted expletives. Continue reading...

Motion backed by unions calls for tougher action, including trade suspension, to end risk of UK complicity

Modella Capital warns of inevitable' closures and job losses at accessories chain while administrators will run remaining stores

Protesters aged between 21 and 83 held on suspicion of supporting proscribed terror group at rally in LiverpoolPolice have arrested 66 people, including an 83-year-old, on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action at a rally outside the Labour party conference in Liverpool.Dozens of protesters gathered outside the venue on Sunday, many holding signs that read: I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." Continue reading...

Chancellor says world has changed' and UK not immune to effects of wars, US tariffs and higher borrowing costs

Optus says it confirmed the welfare of all callers who called triple zero after an issue affected Illawarra region in NSW

A pedestrian was allegedly struck on Exhibition Street before boys abandoned car and fled on foot, police say

Judge says Tufi Junior Tauese-Auelua, who assisted in targeted attack in 2022, was used as muscle for third parties'

PAS garners 50.03% of vote after more than 99.5% of ballots counted in poll deciding whether country steers closer to EU or RussiaMoldova's ruling pro-European party has retained its parliamentary majority after Sunday's pivotal election, seen as a test of the president's push to keep the country of 2.4 million on track for EU membership rather than drifting back towards Moscow.With more than 99.5% of the ballots counted, Maia Sandu's pro-western Action and Solidarity party (PAS) garnered 50.03% of the vote to elect members of the 101-seat parliament. Continue reading...

Telco says nine 000 emergency services calls failed during outage in Dapto region and apologises to customers

Consultation comes after concerns raised about impact of membership on investigations, promotions and misconduct'The Metropolitan police are considering measures that could require officers to inform superiors if they are a member of the Freemasons after concerns were raised about the impact that being part of the group could have.The force, which is the largest in the country, has started a consultation on adding the group to its declarable associations policy. Continue reading...

Opposition leader unconcerned by speculation over possible Liberal leadership tilt by shadow home affairs minister

Eliza Manningham-Buller points to extent of cyber-attacks and other hostile activity orchestrated by MoscowBritain may already be at war with Russia because of the depth and intensity of cyber-attacks, sabotage and other hostile activity orchestrated by Moscow against the UK, according to a former head of MI5.Eliza Manningham-Buller, who led the domestic spy agency two decades ago, said she agreed with comments made by the Russia expert Fiona Hill, who argued in a Guardian interview earlier this year that Moscow was at war with the west. Continue reading...

EU officials warn climate breakdown and wildlife loss are ruining ecosystems that underpin the economy'The European way of life is being jeopardised by environmental degradation, a report has found, with EU officials warning against weakening green rules.The continent has made important progress" in cutting planet-heating pollution, according to the European Environment Agency, but the death of wildlife and breakdown of the climate are ruining ecosystems that underpin the economy.More than 80% of protected habitats are in a poor or bad state, with unsustainable" consumption and production patterns driving loss of wildlife.The EU's carbon sink" has declined by about 30% in a decade as logging, wildfires and pests damage forests.Emissions from transport and food have barely budged since 2005, despite progress in other sectors.Member states have failed to adapt to extreme weather as fast as risk levels have risen.Water stress already affects one in three Europeans and will worsen as the climate changes. Continue reading...

Secretary of state Marco Rubio welcomes release as important step forward' as Taliban seek to normalise relations with USThe Taliban on Sunday freed a US citizen from an Afghan prison, weeks after they said they had reached an agreement with US envoys on a prisoner exchange as part of an effort to normalise relations.US secretary of state Marco Rubio welcomed the release of Amir Amiry, saying it marked the administration's determination, reinforced by Donald Trump's recent executive order, to protect American nationals from wrongful detention abroad. Continue reading...

The country's fastest bird has taken out the top prize in a scandal-free year for the annual pollNew Zealand's fastest bird, capable of flying 200km/h in its pursuit of prey, has been crowned bird of the year - a long-running annual competition that has previously been a lightning rod for scandal and hijinks.The threatened krearea is New Zealand's only falcon. It is small and tawny, with impressive talons and large dark eyes. Krearea are powerful aerial hunters and watch other birds, lizards or small mammals - sometimes larger than themselves - from a high vantage point before diving at high speed to snatch their prey. Continue reading...

Australian PM received a hero's welcome in Liverpool but his UK counterpart navigates a very different political landscape

Festival made 3.4m profit in 2024, generating 2.6m dividend for its parent company, part of Live NationPet Shop Boys and The Prodigy helped the Isle of Wight music festival increase its profits last year, generating a 2.6m dividend for its parent company, a division of the events industry's biggest player, Live Nation.In a year when many smaller music festivals lost money or were cancelled amid wet weather and soaring costs, the summer showpiece on the island, a ferry ride across the Solent from England's southern coast, managed to prosper. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Chancellor also set to unveil plans to get young people back into work in party conference speechRachel Reeves will deliver a library in every primary school in England as part of Labour's plans to give all children the best start in life regardless of their background.The scheme, which will create libraries in the 1,700 primaries currently without them, will be funded from 132.5m of dormant assets that will be unlocked to give young people access to cultural opportunities. Continue reading...

Defend Our Juries says about 100 people had gathered holding signs outside conference venue in LiverpoolPolice have arrested protesters on suspicion of supporting the banned group Palestine Action outside the Labour party conference in Liverpool.About 100 people gathered silently on Sunday to hold signs reading I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action", according to protest organisation Defend Our Juries, who said there were dozens of arrests. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor calls for change as he continues criticism of party under Starmer at conference fringe eventAndy Burnham has said there is a climate of fear in Labour and it needs to change, as he defended his actions in launching a debate" about the future of the party - seen by many as a challenge to Keir Starmer.The Greater Manchester mayor has prompted outrage within No 10 and among cabinet ministers after he said last week that many MPs had urged him to run as Labour leader and questioned the government's economic approach. Continue reading...

Energy minister says platform's owner Elon Musk is a dangerous man' who is part of a global network of right'It's possible" the government should come off X, Ed Miliband has said, because Elon Musk is a dangerous man".The energy minister said Musk was part of a global network of the far right" that includes Nigel Farage. Continue reading...

New York City mayor abandons faltering bid to win re-election in social media video set to strains of song My WayThe mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, announced on Sunday that he is abandoning his faltering bid to win re-election, just over a month before election day, delivering the message in a social media video set to the strains of My Way.Adams, who was trailing in the polls, was elected as a Democrat but ran for re-election as an independent after he was indicted on federal corruption charges, which were then dropped by the Trump administration in exchange for his cooperation on immigration raids. Continue reading...

Pollsters confounded by 50.4% support for e-IDs after forecasting stronger backing for yes' voteSwiss voters have backed plans for electronic identity cards by a wafer-thin margin, in the second nationwide vote on the issue.In a referendum on Sunday, 50.4% of voters supported an electronic ID card, while 49.6% were against, confounding pollsters who had forecast stronger support for the yes" vote. Turnout was 49.55%, higher than expected. Continue reading...

Emmy- and Grammy-nominated performer announces marriage online with photos from California ceremonyEmmy- and Grammy-nominated performer Selena Gomez has married music producer and songwriter Benny Blanco, announcing the news in an Instagram post showing the couple kissing and embracing on a lawn.My wife in real life," Blanco responded to the post on Saturday by Gomez. Gomez wore a white halter bridal dress with floral flourishes, and Blanco wore a tuxedo and bow tie, both custom-made by Ralph Lauren. Continue reading...

Twelve-year-old girl among those killed in Kyiv; Danish ban to take effect this week as drones seen over military bases. This live blog is closedIn an address at the UN general assembly in New York on Saturday, Moscow's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned that any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response" but insisted Russia has no intention of attacking EU or Nato member states.In a wide-ranging speech, Lavrov said threats against Russia by western countries were becoming increasingly common". Continue reading...

Oversight of watchdog could be abused by a future authoritarian government, report warnsThe independence of the Electoral Commission must be fully restored to protect the UK's electoral integrity from a future authoritarian government, a new report warns.The Democracy in Danger report by Spotlight on Corruption found the UK government is in breach of eight different international standards on ensuring the independence of electoral bodies by maintaining the government's oversight of the watchdog.The UK government is in breach of eight different international standards on ensuring the independence of electoral bodies by maintaining the new power in place.

Class action lawsuit alleges company failed to warn about risks of using contraceptive injection Depo-ProveraThe drugmaker Pfizer faces a US lawsuit brought on behalf of women who developed brain tumours, which they say are linked to their use of the company's contraceptive injection Depo-Provera.The class action lawsuit alleges that the US pharmaceutical company failed to warn women and doctors about the increased risk of developing an intracranial meningioma if Depo-Provera, a quarterly injection, is used for more than a year. Continue reading...

The latest find is likely from the 16th century and could have originated as far away as the CaribbeanFlorida already claims to be the world capital of golf, shark bites and lightning strikes. Now a remarkable discovery following a devastating hurricane has enhanced its position as a global leader in another distinctive field: ancient canoes - some even prehistoric.State archeologists have just completed a painstaking preservation of an ancient wooden canoe discovered by a resident of Fort Myers during the cleanup from Hurricane Ian in 2022. Continue reading...

Foreign ministry attacks unjustifiable' return of measures expected to have wide effects on troubled economyWidespread UN sanctions against Iran have come back into force for the first time in a decade, prompting anger from Tehran, after last-ditch nuclear talks with western powers failed to produce a breakthrough.The sanctions, which came into effect late on Saturday and three months after Israel and the US bombed Iran, bar dealings related to Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missiles programme and are also expected to have wider effects on its troubled economy. Continue reading...

Move to further restrict access to documents prepared for government ministers may go against the right to political free speech

In once-occupied Sloviansk, war has become so routine that nobody pays attention to air-raid sirensOn a sunny afternoon this week the beach in the frontline Ukrainian city of Sloviansk was busy. Bathers paddled in a lake, sunbathed and sipped tea. At 3.30pm there was a sudden thunderclap. An artillery shell had crashed nearby, sending up a plume of twisting grey smoke. Ducks took off in panic. The swimmers glanced nonchalantly upwards and carried on bobbing in the salty water.After three years of fighting we've got used to booms. They don't bother us any more," Alyona, a pensioner in a swimsuit, explained. She pointed to a concrete box beyond a row of wooden changing cabins and outdoor showers. If the bombs are close we've got a shelter," she said. Alyona and her friend waded into the shallows. A man selling grapes sat engrossed reading a book. Continue reading...

PM previously advocated for republic but has gradually backed away from pushing for constitutional change

Man who remained in service more than eight months after involvement revealed was also charged with possessing extremist material

Exclusive: Foreign secretary says world has reached moment' it wants to end war after Donald Trump signals plan within reachThe international community is on the brink of securing a peace deal for Gaza that could finally bring an end to two years of conflict and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed thousands of lives, Yvette Cooper has suggested.The new foreign secretary, who has just returned from a UN summit, said that they had reached a moment where the world wants to end this war" after US president Donald Trump indicated a peace deal was within reach. Continue reading...

Suspect Joshua Cole allegedly used a Facebook account to threaten revenge for murder of Charlie KirkFederal authorities in Texas have arrested a man for allegedly threatening to shoot people at a pro-LGBTQ+ parade, to avenge the murder of Charlie Kirk.According to court documents viewed by the Guardian, on 18 September, the FBI's field office in Dallas was notified by Abilene, Texas, police about online threats from a local resident. Continue reading...

Son of Lindsay Foreman expresses real concerns' after mother put on drip and stepfather, Craig, constantly ill'The family of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, a British couple detained in Iran on espionage charges, have said their health is deteriorating in prison.The pair, both 52 and who previously split their time between Spain and England, were seized in Kerman, central Iran, and taken into custody in January while on an around-the-world motorcycle tour. Continue reading...

Spokesperson says claims Harry felt like an official visitor' were fabricated as duke seeks reconciliation with fatherPrince Harry has suggested that people are seeking to sabotage his reconciliation with King Charles as he hit back at invention fed" media reports on the pair's recent meeting.Harry met the king for the first time in almost two years at Clarence House in London on 10 September. Continue reading...

Ukraine's president says Kremlin checking Europe's capacity to protect its skies following new drone sightingsVladimir Putin will expand his war in Ukraine by attacking another European country, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has predicted, and accused Russia of recent drone incursions that he said were an attempt to test Nato's defences.Speaking in Kyiv after his meeting with Donald Trump at the UN in New York, the Ukrainian president said Russia was preparing for a bigger conflict. Putin will not wait to finish his war in Ukraine. He will open up some other direction. Nobody knows where. He wants that," he said. Continue reading...

After the man who killed her father is found dead in his cell, Maz Saleem reflects on living with loss and choosing not to hateNeo-Nazi murderer and bomber Pavlo Lapshyn did not get to serve out the 40-year term of his sentence. He was found dead in his cell at Wakefield prison on Tuesday, 12 years after being jailed. The circumstances of his death have not yet been publicly confirmed.The Ukrainian national was 37. He was convicted at the Old Bailey in October 2013 of murdering Muslim man Mohammed Saleem, 82, in April of that year. Continue reading...

Known for his outspoken politics, the author was acclaimed for work in theatre, opera, film and TV but wanted to be thought of as a poet above all

Moves marks escalation in diplomatic efforts in case of Mohammed Ibrahim, 16, who is being held in an Israeli military prisonThe US state department is appointing a dedicated official to handle the case of Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old dual American-Palestinian citizen who has been held in an Israeli military prison for more than seven months.Ibrahim is scheduled to meet with the new state department point person next week, marking an escalation in diplomatic efforts surrounding the Florida teenager's imprisonment at the Ofer military prison in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Continue reading...

A letter to the prime minister on the eve of the Labour conference warns of critical need' to abandon the policyTeaching unions have written to the prime minister asking him to scrap the two-child benefit cap ahead of Labour's annual conference, which begins in Liverpool on Sunday.In a letter to Keir Starmer, the unions described the policy as cruel" and said it must be fully abandoned as part of the government's delayed child poverty strategy, expected to be published before Christmas. Continue reading...

Poland's PM hails Andrzej Bargiel's completion of the challenge after two previous failed attemptsA Polish adventure skier has made history by becoming the first person to climb up and ski down Mount Everest without the use of additional oxygen.The ascent was Andrzej Bargiel's third attempt at climbing Everest - the tallest mountain on earth at 8,849 metres (29,032ft) high - after dangerous conditions forced the 37-year-old to abandon earlier attempts in 2019 and 2022. Continue reading...

Announcement of deal baffles experts and former ministers, who say there is no sign of any untapped reservesThe newfound camaraderie between the US and Pakistan was on full display this week as Donald Trump welcomed Pakistan's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and the country's powerful army chief, Asim Munir, into the Oval Office, heralding them both as great leaders".Having been cold-shouldered by successive US presidents, this was the first time a Pakistani prime minister had been invited to Washington in more than six years. It was also the unprecedented second time this year that Munir - who holds no official government role - held an intimate meeting with Trump, which many took as a telling signal of where the power to cut deals really lies in Pakistan. Continue reading...

Chancellor says plan would allow thousands of young Europeans to temporarily live and work in UK, and vice versa

French authorities say about 100 people were attempting to reach the UK on a makeshift boatTwo women have died while trying to cross the Channel to Britain, French authorities said.The incident occurred south of the beaches of Neufchatel-Hardelot, where about 100 people were trying to get to the UK on a makeshift boat. Continue reading...